Preview: Crucial points up for grabs as Sporting host DC

A vital match in the Eastern Conference is ahead on Saturday evening when the newly crowned US Open Cup champions Sporting Kansas City meet D.C. United at Livestrong Sporting Park. Sporting come into the week in a tie for the top spot in the East, but United are just four points back in fourth place. In their last league match, Sporting ended a three-game winless run with a 1-0 win at New England, while United returned to action with a 1-0 home win vs. Columbus.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Sporting Kansas City put an end to their winless run at three games, defeating the New England Revolution 1-0 on Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium. Sporting have 40 points from 23 matches, now in a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference with the Houston Dynamo.

TEAM NEWS
• Sporting kept a clean sheet for the fourth time in the last six matches, but they’ve taken just eight points from those games (two wins, two draws).
• “We’ve really figured out a way to play different areas on the field defensively and I think that part is good. And finally getting chances is a big thing for us,” said SKC manager Peter Vermes. “We’ve created a ton of chances this year, we maybe haven’t finished them all, but when you’re creating those chances your eventually going to score. At home maybe not as much, but on the road it’s a little bit different.”
• The shutout was the 10th of the season for goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen, keeping him in a tie for the league lead with Houston’s Tally Hall.

• Sporting will now look to put together back-to-back wins, something they haven’t done since May 27-June 16, when they knocked off San Jose and Toronto.
• “We’ve got a lot of games still ahead of us and it’s about us just trying to getting better as we go along. And right now, I think we’ve done a really good job of playing on the road, which I think will help come playoff time,” said Vermes. “And more importantly, we’ve got to get some guys back off injuries. That’s a big thing for us right now."
• Bobby Convey was forced off after just seven minutes with a hamstring ailment, his third consecutive start after missing two months with a series of injuries.
• “It’s not a pull," Vermes said. "It’s more of a tweak and a cramp, so hopefully he’s getting a little better. We’ll see.”
• Teal Bunbury started his second consecutive match, his first time with back-to-back starts in more than a month, and scored his fourth goal of the season. “Teal did a great job – opportunistic. His second touch was awesome. The finish was – I always say it’s kind of his patent finish – he loves to go to the left and curl that ball back post,” Vermes said.
• On Wednesday, Sporting won the US Open Cup for the second time, defeating Seattle Sounders FC on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes.
• A Kei Kamara penalty kick in the 84th minute for SKC was answered by a Zach Scott goal two minutes to level terms and sent the match into extra time. In the penalty shootout, Sporting converted three of their five attempts while Sounders FC missed on their final three, giving the home side the title and denying Seattle’s historic bid to win a fourth consecutive Open Cup championship.
• Here’s the Sporting team: Jimmy Nielsen, Chance Myers, Lawrence Olum, Matt Besler, Seth Sinovic (Michael Harrington 100), Paulo Nagamura, Graham Zusi, Julio Cesar, Roger Espinoza, Kei Kamara, Teal Bunbury (C.J. Sapong 88).

D.C. UNITED
D.C. United snapped their two-game losing streak, defeating the Columbus Crew 1-0 on Saturday evening at RFK Stadium. United are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 36 points from 21 games.

LAST MATCH

HIGHLIGHTS: DC 1, CLB 0

• The game's lone goal came in the 49th minute after stellar work from rookie Nick DeLeon. After dribbling into the corner, he cut back on Crew defender Josh Williams, spun away and sent a cross into the box. Long Tan backheeled the ball, and Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum batted it away. But the rebound bounced right to Chris Pontius, who deposited it into the goal.
• United head coach Ben Olsen made four changes to the team that lost 1-0 to the Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium. Bill Hamid returned between the posts for Joe Willis, Emiliano Dudar came into the back four for Dejan Jakovic, Branko Boskovic came into the midfield for Lewis Neal, and Long Tan came in up top for Hamdi Salihi.
• D.C. UNITED (4-3-1-2): Bill Hamid - Chris Korb, Brandon McDonald, Emiliano Dudar, Daniel Woolard (Lewis Neal 63) - Nick DeLeon (Dejan Jakovic 79), Perry Kitchen, Chris Pontius - Branko Boskovic - Dwayne De Rosario, Long Tan (Maicon Santos 67).

TEAM NEWS
• United now have a seven-game winning streak at RFK Stadium, one game shy of the club record set March 21-May 23, 1998.
• United lengthened their home unbeaten streak to eight games, having not lost at RFK Stadium since the opening game of the season (the first meeting with Sporting KC).
• After coming off the substitutes’ bench for two consecutive matches, rookie Nick DeLeon made his second consecutive start.
• “It's tough. You go from having a three-month season to all of a sudden – with preseason – 10-plus months,” said Chris Pontius. “Consistency is the hardest thing as a rookie, but I think he's found his groove back. I just told him the thing that makes him successful is him going at guys, and you saw that tonight, putting defenders on their heels.”
• Daniel Woolard was forced off the field after 63 minutes with a head injury, and seems likely to miss a start for the first time since the second game of the year.

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• “Right now we’re in a holding pattern with him,” Olsen said. “[We need] to make sure we go through all the steps to ensure his safety. It’s not a perfect science with this stuff. We’ll evaluate Daniel symptomatically, as we do every guy with these head injuries. It’s a bad part of the game and it seems like it’s happening more and more.”
• Emiliano Dudar made his first start since April 28 and played the entire match in central defense. "He had some errant passing that didn't help us at times, but he also had some passing and calmness that really does help us,” said Olsen. “I thought overall he had a pretty good day."
• Striker Long Tan made his first start for United since he was acquired from Vancouver Whitecaps FC, after coming off the substitutes’ bench in the game in Columbus.
• “His work rate is unbelievable. We didn't find him as much as we needed to in behind. I have to look at the film, but I think he made some very good runs. If we find him, he can be very dangerous,” Olsen said. “I was hoping he could have got a goal. He did a great job on the goal to get a little flick on there. He put a good night in for sure.”
• Branko Boskovic returned to the starting lineup after missing the Columbus, playing the full 90 minutes for the first time since last Oct. 23.
• United will also have Andy Najar back after his successful sojourn to the London Olympic Games with Honduras.
• “I’ve been through that,” Olsen said. “Whether you do well or not, it’s intense being a part of the Olympics. Doing well, maybe even is more taxing. He didn’t play the last game and he didn’t have 90-minute games before that so, physically, he should be OK. We’ve just got to get him there mentally.”